Brexit edges ever closer, the government has no answers, and the bad news keeps coming. Here are five of the latest Brexit hits.
Cloud over sun-seeking pensioners
Retirees living in sunnier European climes still don’t know whether they will lose access to their private pensions. For some that could mean selling their homes and living off the proceeds, reports Bloomberg. UK and EU negotiators haven’t even started discussing the issue of cross-border financial services yet. That includes the so-called passporting rules which cover expats’ private pensions – and which aren’t expected to stay in place under the government’s current Brexit position.
EHIC hiccup to hit dialysis patients
There’s more uncertainty over whether Brits will get to keep using the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) – a perk of EU membership that entitles UK residents to the same subsidised care as local patients. A group of British MEPs is calling on health secretary Jeremy Hunt to make sure this is safeguarded.
Medical charities have warned that 29,000 kidney dialysis patients who need to attend hospital every other day would face insurmountable costs of more than £800 a week if the card goes, effectively putting holidays out of reach for people on ordinary incomes.
Demand a vote on the Brexit deal
Click here to find out moreBrits lose out in space race
The government’s star wars with Brussels over the EU’s Galileo satellite project is hitting UK business. A potential £175 million contract between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Airbus will be moved from Portsmouth to either France or Germany, thanks to ESA rules that only EU member states will be allowed to be lead contractors on the new satellite project after Brexit.
EU students skip (UK) school
Brexit deterred almost two fifths of prospective EU students, according to the annual International Student Survey. It’s clear Brexit is harming our world-beating higher education institutions.
Responding to the survey, Keith Burnett, vice-chancellor of Sheffield University, said: “Education and knowledge at its best transcends borders and talent speaks to talent across the world. Yet for this to be the case, international students and scholars must know that they are welcome.”
Making talented young foreigners welcome is the last thing the UK is doing right now.
Bank reacts as economy stutters
The Bank of England has downgraded its UK forecast for GDP growth in 2018 from 1.8% to 1.4%, following a weaker-than-expected start to the year. While the Bank blames the downgrade in part due to “adverse weather”, ONS economic figures today say the economy has been very sluggish with “little impact overall from the bad weather”.
Other factors behind the slowdown include flat manufacturing growth, the construction sector performing poorly and low business investment – all set against a backdrop of Brexit uncertainty.
Thanks Brexiters!
See our previous round-up of the toll Brexit is taking here.
Edited by Hugo Dixon
And yet many Brexiters STILL insist they knew full well what they were voting for!
The folk who voted for Brexit are unlikely to have been expats so it is highly unlikely they were thinking about how it might affect their pensions. And they are also unlikely to have been concerned (and who could blame them?) about expats. But they are likely to be set wondering what they have done when the domestic value of their own pensions begin to suffer from the economic decline Brexit will certainly bring.
Ignorant ,uneducated Sun and Mail readers will believe anything they say!
When you have never availed of University education you have no idea the impact Brexit will have on our research facilities etc..what a mess..